***Outline and evaluate the view that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society Flashcards
point 1
One view that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society is that Marxists believe that the unclear families only purpose is to contribute to the capitalist system.
example 1
Zaretsky sees the nuclear family as a contributing factor to the capitalist system, he observed how housewives kept capitalism going, performing free household tasks in the home and socialising a future generation of workers (children) into a way of thinking that suited capitalist requirements. The family is also a unit of consumption. Families buy consumer goods that need to be purchased for capitalism to survive and for profits to be maintained.
explain 1
This shows that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society as Marxists believe that the nuclear family is the perfect family to contribute to capitalism and it’s exploitative nature.
counter 1
Parsons sees the nuclear family is the ideal institution to perform the essential functions in industrial society which are The primary socialization of children and the stabilization of adult personalities.
point 2
Marxist feminists believe that in a nuclear family men take their anger and frustration that they have at working in a capitalist system, Rather than turning it against the system which produced it, this frustration is absorbed by the comforting wife.
example 2
Ansley argued that in the nuclear family When wives play their traditional role as takers of shit, they often absorb their husbands’ legitimate anger and frustration at their own powerlessness and oppression. With every worker provided with a sponge to soak up his possible revolutionary ire, the bosses rest more secure.
explain 2
This shows that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society as women are forced into being safety valve for the frustration produced in the husband in order to not threaten that capitalist system
counter 2
Murdock argues that the nuclear family is the perfect family for individuals needs in society and there is no adequate substitute for it
point 3
Radical feminists believe argue that it is the nuclear family itself, and its’ associated patriarchal structures benefiting men, that are the root cause of women’s oppression.
example 3
Delphy and Leonard believe that wives contribute much more work to family life than their husbands. Despite this, they get fewer of the material benefits of family life than men. Men retain ultimate responsibility for family finances, and women consume less than male family members, also The male head of household usually has the ‘decision-making power’
explain 3
This shows that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society as it enforces the idea that men and women aren’t equal as it benefits men much more
counter 3
New Right thinkers see the family as the cornerstone of society. They also see a ‘normal’ and ‘ideal’ family as the heterosexual nuclear family unit.
point 4
Marxists argue that the nuclear family gives men greater control over women as it gives men the choice of who inherits property without giving women a say.
example 4
Engels argued that because after 1882 married women could own property under their own name, capitalists were concerned that their property wouldn’t be passed down to their legitimate heirs, the nuclear family created a solution for this as It gave men greater control over women so a man could be fairly sure that he had legitimate children with a clear right to inherit his wealth.
explain 4
This shows that the nuclear family plays a negative role in society as it doesn’t give women a say in decisions and pushes inequality as it helps keep women ‘in their place’.
